Yale To Drop Slavery Advocate’s Name From Residential College

The decision came after protests were held by students and faculty.

Amid backlash from students and faculty, Yale University has decided to change the name of a residential college that was named after John C. Calhoun; a 19th-century politician who supported slavery. According to the Huffington Post, on Saturday the institution announced that it would rename the college after Grace Murray Hopper; a computer scientist who made strides in the realm of STEM.

The new name, which becomes official on July 1, will instead honor Grace Murray Hopper, a rear admiral of the Navy who earned her doctorate in mathematics at Yale in 1934 and was a pioneer during the early years of computer programming.

The switch comes after months of protests led by Yale students, employees and Connecticut residents who claimed that Calhoun and his beliefs about race and slavery stained the university’s reputation.

“The decision to change a college’s name is not one we take lightly,” Yale President Peter Salovey said in a press release. “But John C. Calhoun’s legacy as a white supremacist and a national leader who passionately supported slavery as a ‘positive good’ fundamentally conflicts with Yale’s mission and values.”

Although the name won’t officially be changed until July, students at Yale have been posting Hopper’s name throughout the residential college.